Don't stress the dress

Monday

Mar 31, 2014 at 10:20 AMMar 31, 2014 at 10:37 AM

The wedding day is the time when all attention is on the bride — the beautiful princess marrying her knight in shining armor — bejeweled and bedecked in a glorious gown. She wants to look her very best. How can she achieve her goal? By adding fitness training to her long wedding to-do list.

TEXT BY CATHLEEN COLE

The wedding day is the time when all attention is on the bride — the beautiful princess marrying her knight in shining armor — bejeweled and bedecked in a glorious gown. She wants to look her very best. How can she achieve her goal? By adding fitness training to her long wedding to-do list.

Making it work this time

Sara Buie started working out with Shantell Fredrickson, a personal trainer with Elite Power & Fitness in Medford, in August 2013 to prepare for her April ceremony. She got more serious around November with the holidays approaching because she didn't want to pack on extra pounds.

Why did she seek the help of a personal trainer? "I had failed so many times before," she says, adding that Fredrickson has been her best friend for many years.

From August to February, she lost about 15 pounds. Her goal is to lose a total of 25 to 30 pounds. "I don't like the way I look at the moment," she said in February. "I want to look good in the pictures."

The hardest part of her fitness program is sticking to the food plans, she says. It was hard giving up lots of starchy carbs. "I love rice," she admits. "I love pasta. That's what gets me into trouble."

Portion control is also difficult as is eating five to six small, healthy meals a day instead of three large meals. Early on, Buie bought a small cooler to keep in her car since she drives a lot for her job. She keeps it stocked with healthy foods so she won't miss a meal when she's on the go.

Buie is glad she hired a personal trainer because she's gotten farther with this plan than with any other attempt. She monitors what she eats and she pitched the junk foods in her kitchen, much to the dismay of many of her friends. One friend came to visit and looked in Buie's refrigerator and cabinets for something to eat. Buie had just gone to the grocery and had stocked up on healthy foods and snacks, but her friend complained, "You have nothing to eat! Where's the junk food? Where are the potato chips?"

The bride-to-be is determined to stick with her fitness plan even after the ceremony. "I want to go further with it than my goal for the wedding," she says.

Getting motivated

Kimberly Tiger of Medford also plans to look fit and trim for her wedding day. She has been fitness conscious for many years, but she started working out with Steve Thomas of Aspire Fitness in Medford in 2010 because she says she needed help getting motivated. Even though she's been on the right track, she wanted to lose weight for her August wedding. She wants to lose a total of 21 pounds and had lost four by February. She's confident she will reach her goal by the wedding date.

Tiger wants to look fitter primarily for her own self-confidence, she confirms. "It's also a day of memories, which involves lots of pictures, and socializing with family and friends," she notes. "It will be one of the most significant events in my lifetime and I'd like to look back on it fondly."

The hardest part of reaching her goal has been eating healthy foods and finding time to work out with her busy schedule as an accountant. "I work 50-plus hours a week and even more now that it's busy season," she says. "I find it difficult to juggle working out, cooking and preparing healthy meals, family life and a career."

Even so, she'll stick with her diet and exercise plan after the wedding. "I've always been into eating healthy and exercising," she says. "I plan to stick with the regimen after the wedding."